Can anyone recommend a good overflow box

Yates273 · Dec 7, 2018

Looking for suggestions pros,cons. I understand that the best option would be to drill the tank out but that’s not an option right now. I am looking to add a small sump to my nano just for more stability and maybe add some chaeto and hide some equipment. I have read up on a few overflow boxes. All get mixed reviews are there any out there that are hands down the clear choice when it comes to hang on overflow boxes. Suggestions information would be greatly appreciated. TYIA

seaplane · Dec 7, 2018

Lifereef!! I used one on my Biocube for 2 years, never failed, very well made.

Ariel V Rosa · Dec 7, 2018

Synergy reef shadow 16 in seems to be very popular and rared for 2500 GPH. I boought it and felt the plastic didnt like it. I went instead with Eshoppes Eclipse L two of them made entirely of super thick acrylic no flimsy polycarbonate, and the lid on the synergy reef wouldnt stay on after it was fillednwith water. There is one other company that does good over flows they make the Ghost overflow but they arent taking any orders at the moment.

The eclipse comes in smal medium and large. They list XXL and XL but they never brought them to market.

ihavecrabs · Dec 7, 2018

Ariel V Rosa said:
Synergy reef shadow 16 in seems to be very popular and rared for 2500 GPH. I boought it and felt the plastic didnt like it. I went instead with Eshoppes Eclipse L two of them made entirely of super thick acrylic no flimsy polycarbonate, and the lid on the synergy reef wouldnt stay on after it was fillednwith water. There is one other company that does good over flows they make the Ghost overflow but they arent taking any orders at the moment.

The eclipse comes in smal medium and large. They list XXL and XL but they never brought them to market.

I use both the EShoppes Eclipse and Synergy Reef Shadow. Acrylic is defintitely more sturdy on the eshoppes; however, there are glued seams. Shadow is injection molded and while more flexible/flimsy, it has no seams!

I don't think either of these will work for the OP unless they decide to drill their display though..

I have heard great things about life reef as well, but no personal experience at all. HOB overflows always terrified me

Ariel V Rosa · Dec 7, 2018

Jason Yahr said:
Looking for suggestions pros,cons. I understand that the best option would be to drill the tank out but that’s not an option right now. I am looking to add a small sump to my nano just for more stability and maybe add some chaeto and hide some equipment. I have read up on a few overflow boxes. All get mixed reviews are there any out there that are hands down the clear choice when it comes to hang on overflow boxes. Suggestions information would be greatly appreciated. TYIA

Tottaly mised the part about you not wanting to drill, if thats the case I have never had issues with eshoppes PF series, never had a siphon break that wasn't atteibuted tonuser error. With that being said you have to pick one out close to the flow you are expecting with your return pump, as its ability to maintain a prober siphon is based on it getting the flow it needs to push bubbles out of the U tube. The dual ones are dead silent once you herbie them.

Daniel@R2R · Dec 7, 2018

ihavecrabs said:
HOB overflows always terrified me

I had 1 on my first tank. Never. Again.

Ariel V Rosa · Dec 7, 2018

ihavecrabs said:
I use both the EShoppes Eclipse and Synergy Reef Shadow. Acrylic is defintitely more sturdy on the eshoppes; however, there are glued seams. Shadow is injection molded and while more flexible/flimsy, it has no seams!

I don't think either of these will work for the OP unless they decide to drill their display though..

I have heard great things about life reef as well, but no personal experience at all. HOB overflows always terrified me

I ran a hob from eshopps for 5 years never a siphon break, as long as you push the gph they are rated to operate at bubbkes will never form in the U tubes. Now if you buy a 1000 gph unit and run it at 300 gph.. bubbles will form as the tube is to big causing the velocity of the water to be slower you have to swap those U tubes out for narrower ones to increase the velocity of the water to where it can drag any bubbles that form down the pipes. Even if a siphon broke there should not be enough water in the sumos return section to over flow a tank, the return pump should run out of water vefore it floods, the same way tlthe returns should be so deep in the water without a siphon break to flood the sump to the point of spill over. I could oull the utubes out for maintenance while the return was active, it would run the return chamver dry and trigger the returns internal dry switch and turn off the pump. As soon as I restarted the siphon everything back to normal.

Orm Embar · Dec 8, 2018

When I was considering using a HOB siphon, Lifereef had the most positive responses from what I recall on various boards. I also agreed conceptually with the idea that a standard high flow U-tube design works better than a CPR-style flat overflow (where the lower flow would be more likely to accumulate bubbles and eventually break).

I would make sure that you have enough reserve space in both the display and in the sump such that if the siphon or the return ever stopped working, you still wouldn't overflow (the sump pump would run dry before overflowing the main tank, and the siphon would run dry before the sump would overflow).

I've also read that check valves are a disaster waiting to happen.